The present invention relates to a new and distinct plant of Russian sage, botanically known as Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Blue Jean Baby’ and will be referred to hereinafter also by its cultivar name ‘Blue Jean Baby’ and the new plant. The new plant cultivar of Perovskia is a hardy herbaceous perennial grown for landscape use.
Perovskia ‘Blue Jean Baby’ is from seed from a selfing of siblings in population of the proprietary unreleased hybrid grex known as K10-01 collected by the inventor in the fall of 2011 at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. All subsequent evaluations were performed in a full-sun trial garden at the same nursery with loamy sand soil and irrigation and fertilizer as required. The single seedling plant was selected for further evaluation during the summer of 2012 and given the breeder designation “11-01-04.” The plant was propagated by stem cuttings at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. and the original plant and the cuttings evaluated over the next two years until final approval for introduction in the summer of 2014. The resultant asexually propagated cuttings have been stable and identical to the original plant in successive asexual propagations.
No plants of Perovskia ‘Blue Jean Baby’ have been sold in this country, under this or any name, or anywhere in the world, prior to the filing of this application, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made prior to the filing of this application with the exception of that which was disclosed within one year of the filing of this application and was derived either directly or indirectly from the inventor.